Market Square Arena

Lore & Background

The first event held at the arena was a Glen Campbell concert on September 15, 1974. The first professional sports game in the venue was on October 17, 1974, when the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA hosted the Michigan Stags. The first Pacers basketball game held in the arena was a preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks; the total attendance was 16,929. The first regular-season ABA game in the arena was held on October 18, 1974, against the San Antonio Spurs; the Pacers lost in double overtime, 129–121 in front of 7,473 fans. The first Pacers victory in Market Square Arena came on October 23 with a 122–107 win over the Spirits of St. Louis. Seventeen-year-old Wayne Gretzky starred for the Racers in his first professional action before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers after a handful of games. The arena was best known as the home of the Indiana Pacers from 1974 to 1999. It also hosted the 1980 NCAA men's basketball Final Four, the 1987 Pan American Games basketball games, and the first NHL game in the arena on November 3, 1992, between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals. Elvis Presley performed his final live concert here on June 26, 1977. The arena was demolished on July 8, 2001.

Reader's Guide

Market Square Arena was located in downtown Indianapolis, spanning Market Street. The site now houses Cummins Global Distribution Headquarters on the southern half and a 28-story apartment building named 360 Market Square on the northern half. An Elvis Presley memorial is placed on the sidewalk adjacent to 360 Market Square.

Did You Know?

• The arena's original center-hung scoreboard was an American Sign & Indicator model with monochrome matrix screens.
• Michael Jordan's return to the Chicago Bulls after his first retirement took place at Market Square Arena in a loss to the Pacers on March 19, 1995.
• The arena hosted the 1980 NCAA men's basketball Final Four, won by the University of Louisville.